Rotatably-driven reciprocating-piston pump



' w. L. SANDAGE ROTATABLY DRIVEN REGIPROCATING PISTON PUMP Filed Aug. 28. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invenfor. 67- m'llzhngLm andage.

Aio rneys a Nnv. H5, 1927. 1,649,196

w. L. SANDAGE ROTATABLY DRIVEN RECIPROCATING PISTON PUMP l atented Flora l5,

WELLIAM Tu. FAFTDAGE, OF LGS ANGELES, CALMURNH- EQTATABLY-IDEIVEN RfEflIPROOA'lING-FISTQN PUMP.

Application filed August 28, 1926. Serial No. 132,993.

This invention. is a rotatably actuated reciprocating piston pump and preferably one wherein the piston has both rotary and longitudinal movement. The rotary movement of the piston with its peculiar mounting causes the longitudinal reciprocation thereof, and the longitudinal movement of the piston creates suction which lifts the fluid.

While the invention is adapted for pumping any fluid, it has been designed for use and is preferably used, in oil wells and especially for pumping deep wells, and to do so more rapidly and cheaply than the oil well pumps! heretofore in use, including those operated by walking beams.

@ne feature of this invention is that the pump is not actuated by a reciprocating means like the walking beam pump heretofore used, but is driven by an engine, electrical, gasoline or othertype, located close to the pump shaft and geared therewith so as to rotate the shaft. This makes a compact driving construction and enables the pump to be driven at a much greater speed relatively than the walking beam pumps.

Another feature of the invention consists in the means for enabling the rotary pump shaft to reciprocate the piston vertically by rotating the same. To that end the piston is provided with one or more independent inclined cam-like grooves around the same into each of which a roller projects from the well tube that surrounds the piston.

With this arrangement rotation of the piston causes the rollers to force it up and down or vertically reciprocate it to do the pumping.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a driving shaft construction for rotating said piston which, in a sense, is longitudinally expansible and contractible so that it will continue to rotate the piston as it travels up and down in the well tube.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a piston with one or more vertical passage ways through it for the passage of the oil or other fluid, and a fixed block in the well tube below and above said piston spaced apart for substantially the full stroke of the piston, and said blocks having vertical fluid passages through them, and all of said fluid passages through the piston and blocks to be controlled by gravity check valves, preferably balls, whereby a simple and eflective pumping construction is provided. 1

Another feature of the invention consists in utilizing a plurality of said pistons in the sametube and well, and driven by the same continuous shaft construction, whereby the fluid will be lifted from one piston chamber to the next in stages; and this pump construction is enabled to be extended therefore, down in the well and do efiective deep well pumping.

Another feature of the invention is makmg the shaft construction tubular and parts perforated for easy lubrication of the pump however deep the well may be.

The relative convenience, cheapness, speed and depth of pumping possible with this construction, make it a very valuable one, especially for oil wells. lt can be used efiectively in oil wells in which other pumping constructions have ceased to pay or be efiective, so that it is serviceable in renewing the operation of oil wells where the oil stands so low that it cannot be pumped at all by the walking beam pump constructions, or pumped so as to pay. Hence its ability to renew exhausted wells and to pump more rapidly and cheaply in deep wells are evidences of its great practical value in the oil industry.

The foregoing and other features of this invention will more fully appear from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

' In the drawings Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through a well and my improved pumping construction, the driving -means being shown inelevation, and parts being broken away as shown. Fig. 2 is a similar section of a portion of the well construction shown in Fig. 1, but on a larger scale with one piston in its upper position, and parts being broken away. Fig. 3 is the same as the upper part of Fig. 2 with the pistonr'in the down position. Fig. 4 is an elevation of one of the pistons. Fig. 5 is a cross section of the pump construction on line 55 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is a simple vertical section through the lower stop block and well tube, the top and bottom being broken away. Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 7-7 of Figs. 1 and 6. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a portion of the piston and well tube shown on a largescale.

In the drawings there is shown in Fig. l, a well 10 sunk in the earth 11. At the mouth. of the well there is a platform 12 resting on the earthand carrying an internal lift combustion engine 13, a portion of which is shown. The driving shaft 14 of the engine has a bevel gear 15 which meshes with a bevel gear 16 secured on the upper end of the pump shaft 17, which is inserted in the well tube or casing 18 as far down as desired for the purpose of rotating and operating the piston 20. Two of said pistons 20 are shown in Figs, 1 and 2, but their number may be increased as desired so as to enable the1 1construction to pump by stages in a deep we The Well tube 18 is formed in sections of usual length below the top section from which a fluid discharge pipe 21 leads. The pump shaft 17 also is compound, being made of several sections connected with each other for transmitting power to the piston all the way down to the bottom of the well. One feature of my invention consists in placing a bearing plate 25, see Fig. 2, between the adjacent ends of the sections of the well tube and surrounding said plate and the ends of the well-tube with a sleeve coupling 26, which is internally threaded to engage reversely threaded ends of the well tube sections to draw and hold them tightly together. Each bearing plate 25 has a lurality of vertical passages 27 for the fluid. The pump shaft 17 consists of the.

upper portion, shown in Fig. 1, which at its lower end screws in to section 117 formed so as to be turned by a wrench and its ends screw on the reversely threaded ends of the upper section and a lower section 217 which again screws into the upper end of a section 317. The section 217 has secured on it a bearing washer 29 which is supported on a bearing washer 28 that is carried by the bearing plate 25 and there are bearing balls between said plates 28 and 29. This arrangement is 'repeated from section to section of the pump construction and serves to guide and support the pump shaft.

The pump shaft section 317 extends through and is shouldered on the block 30, which is secured rigidly in the -well tube above each piston and another block 31 is secured below each piston' so as to form between them a piston chamber 32 in the well tube. The section 317 is held in place by nuts 33 and it has a central bore or socket 34 which is angular in cross section to receive the correspondingly shaped well shaft section 417, which at its lower end screws into the upper end of the piston 20. This enables the well shaft section 417 to reciprocate vertically in the well shaft section 317 above it.

In the construction shown, the piston 20 forms part of the pump. shaft, as power is transmitted from it to the section 517 of the pump shaft. This section is angular transversely and extends in a central angular socket 35, so that the piston 20 can rethe piston.

ciprocate on the shaft section 517 and transmit power to it so as to rotate it. Said section 517 of the pump shaft is supported by collar 36 resting on the top of the plug 31. In the form shown this collar 36 has a tube 37 extending downward from it through the plug 31 so as to rotate therein. This tube 37 has an angular socket 38 extending centrally and vertically from another section 617 of the pump shaft which extends down to the next piston 20. I do not'wish to be limited to this particular construction of the pump shaft as it may be composed of fewer parts, but the portions thereof, associated with the piston 20, must be vertically reciprocable to permit the operation of the piston. Another feature of this pump shaft is that its various sections are tubular from the top to the bottom so that lubricatin oil inserted at the top of the pump shaft will lubricate the shaft sections, the pistons and valves of the entire pump structure. Thus it is seen that at each break of the pump shaft to permit the reciprocation of the plston, some of the lubricating oil will spread out over the plugs and pistons and lubricate the pistons and valves and telescoping portions of the pump shaft. The plugs 30 and 31 have vertical passages 40 for the upward movement of the oil or fluid and also the piston 20 has vertical passages 41 for the same purpose. These passages are all closed by gravity check valves, preferably balls 42. as shown.

Each piston 20 is formed as indicated m Fig. 4. It is a cylinder fitting in the well tube 18 and has grooves 44 around it near its ends for packing 45. It also has a plurality of annular inclined cam grooves 46 with side ribs formed like right and left threads of a screw, these grooves are parallel with each other and four are shown in Fig. 4, but the invention is not limited to the number of grooves although about 4 are preferable. The radii of the ribs or side walls of the grooves 46 are all perpendicular to axis of the piston. Into each of these grooves a roller 47 projects from the well tube 18, which is also perpendicular with the axis of This affords a wide facing for the roller. The roller 47 is rotatably mounted on a stud 48 extending through the wall of the well tube and a vertical plate 49. All four studs 48 are connected with one of the plates 49. This makes a strong mounting for the rollers 47 and for the studs -18 as they can be quickly removed by unscrewing the same so as to permit the removal of the piston from a tube section. The piston hasan oil opening 50 through 1ts wall for each groove 46 so that lubricating oil coin ng lnto the vertical openings in the piston Wlll enter the grooves 46 and lubricate them and rollers 47. This lubrication is very lmportant in order to minimize the friction between the rollers 47 and the ribs 51 between the grooves 46. The plugs 30 and 31 are held in place by. screws 55 as seen in Fig. 5. At the bottom of the well tube there is a plug 56 as shown in Fig. 7, secured therein.

Tn operating the engine, shaft 14: rotates in one direction constantly and causes the rotation of the compound well shaft in one direction constantly. The well shaft causes the pistons to rotate, and as they rotate, they will .be caused to reciprocate vertically by the rollers 47, as these rollers are stationary and engage the continuous cam-like ribs51. Thus when the piston is in its upper position as shown in Fig. 2, the rollers 47 would be in the lower portion ofthe grooves 46, and when the piston is in its lower position as shown in Fig. 3, the rollers would be in the upper parts of the grooves 46. Hence the rotation of the well shaft will cause constant vertical reciprocation of the pistons, and as the piston rises to the position as shown in Fig. 2, it tends to create a partial vacuum in the piston chamber 32, which causes the oil or fluid to rise in the well tube through the block 31 and fill the piston chamber 32. The check valves 42 will prevent the downward escape of the fluid in chamber 32 and maintain the fluid in that chamber, so that when the piston 20 descends to the position shown in Fig. 3., the fluid in the lower part of chamber 32 will be forced upward through the passages 41 of the piston into the upper end of the chamber 32. Then the upward movement of the piston will force the fluid out of the upper chamber 32, through the passages in theblock 30 and into the well tube chamber above. This operation of the piston repeatedly will, by stages, lift the fluid. to the top of the well and cause its discharge. The lower piston will lift the fluid to the upper piston, and thus by stages the oil or fluid may be lifted from the bottom of a deep well, say 3000 feet deep.

lit is to be noted that the pistons can be rotated very rapidly, say 1000 revolutions a minute, so that they can pump very rapidly. And the lift at each vmovement of the piston can be relatively slight, whereby the fluid may be pumped from a great depth" and with relatively little power: Thus if the piston lifts about 8 ounces of fluid at every revolution, with 1000 revolutions a minute it would lift and discharge 8000 ounces of fluid per minute and this would amount to several hundred barrels per day whereas the walking beam actuated pump, or old style pump, would not exceed 150 barrels per day, hence this pump would raise many times more barrels per day than the old'style pump. The ordinary walking beam operates about 22 strokes per minute and makes a stroke of about 18 inches, which greatly limits its work and yield.

The inclination of the grooves 46 or ribs made.

51 may be varied. If the inclination is reduced, less power will be required to operate the pump and a relatively less stroke be This is desirable in deep wells. If the inclination be increased, the stroke will be greater and the pumping action with a given amount of power will be augmented. Because'the pump is operated by a rotary pump shaft, the power may be applied close to said shaft as shown and the speed may he therefore relatively great.

What I claim to be my invention is:

1. A well pump including a well tube, a compound shaft construction extending down centrally in said tube, means for rotat-ing the shaft construction, a piston in the tube having a central chamber angular in cross section to receive a correspondingly shaped portion of the shaft construction, whereby the piston will be rotated by the shaft construction and have longitudinal movement independently thereof, and means secured to the well tube for engaging the piston and causing it to reciprocate when it is rotated.

2. A well pump including a well tube, a shaft construction extending down into said tube, means for rotatin the shaft construction, and portion of sald shaft construction being angular in cross section and another portion having alongitudinal chamber angular in cross section to receive said angular portion of the shaft construction and enable the shaft construction to have telescopic movement, a iston secured to one of said telescopic portions of said shaft construction so that the piston can be rotated thereby and have reciprocal movement, and means secured to the well tube for engaging the,

piston and causing it to reciprocate when it isrotated.

3. A well pump including a well tube, a shaft construction extending down in the said tube and having at intervals telescopic portions, a plurality of pistons in said tube, one connected operatively with each of said telescopic portions whereby the plurality of pistons will be rotated by said shaft construction and be vertically reciprocal, and means secured to the well tube for engaging the piston and causing it to reciprocate when it is rotated.

4. A well pump including a. well tube, formed of sections end to end, a bearing plate between the abutting ends of the sections, a threaded sleeve for uniting each joint of the tube sections and surrounding said bearing plate holding it in place, a shaft construction extending down into said tube and through said bearing plates having bearings therein, means for rotating the shaft construction, and a piston in said tube operatively connected with the shaft construction so as to be actuated thereby.

5. A well pump including a well tube formed of sections end to end, a bearing plate between the abutting ends of the sections, a threaded sleeve for uniting each joint of the tube sections and surrounding said bearing plate and holding it in place, a shaft construction extending down into said tube and through said bearing plates having bearings therein, means for rotating the shaft construction, a piston in said tube operatively connected with the shaft construction so as to be rotated thereby and be reciprocal in the tube, and means secured to the tube operatively engaging the piston for causing it to reciprocate when it is rotated.

6. A well pump including a well tube formed of sections, bearing plates between the abutting ends of the sections, a threaded sleeve for uniting the abutting ends of each joint of the tube and surrounding said bearing plates, a shaft construction extending p down into the well tube and through said bearing plates, a washer secured on said shaft construction immediately above each bearing plate, bearing balls between said washer and bearing plate for supporting the shaft and giving ita bearing at intervals throughout its length, means for rotat ing the shaft, and a piston in the tube operatively connected with the shaft construction so as to be actuated thereby.

7. A well pump including a well tube formed of sections, bearing plates between the abutting ends of the sections, a threaded sleeve for uniting the abuttin ends of each joint of the tube and surroun ing said bearing plates a shaft construction extending down into the well tube and through said bearing plates, a washer secured on said shaft construction immediately above each bearing plate, bearing balls between said washer and bearing plate for supporting the shaft and giving it a. hearing at intervals throughout its length, means for rotating the shaft, a piston in the tube operatively connected with the shaft construction for rotating the piston, and means secured to the tube and in engagement with the piston for causing it to reciprocate when rotated.

8. A well pump including a well tube, a pair of blocks secured in said tube to form a piston chamber between them, each block having valve controlled passages for the fluid, a shaft construction extending down into the well tube and centrally. through said blocks, means for rotating the shaft construction, and a piston in the tube in the piston chamber between said blocks and operatively connected with the shaft construction so as to be actuated thereby.

9. A well pump including a well tube, a pair of blocks secured in said tube to form a iston chamber between them, each block aving valve controlled passages for the fluid, a shaft construction extending down into the well tube and centrally through said having valve controlled passages for the fluid in the well tube,.a shaft construction extending down into the well tube and centrally through said blocks, means for rotating the shaft construction, a piston in said piston chamber operatively connected with the shaft construction so as to be actuated thereby, and having through it longitudinal and valve controlled passages for the upward movement of the fluid on the down stroke of the iston.

11. A well pump including a well tube, a pair of blocks secured in said tube to form a piston chamber between them, said block having valve controlled passages for the fluid, a piston in the piston chamber that is shorter than said chamber and having a central angular chamber, a shaft construction extending down into said well tube formed of sections extending through said blocks, one section having its central chamber angular in cross section, another section of the cam construction being secured to the piston and angular in cross section and extending into said chamber of the aforesaid section so as to telescope therein, another section of the shaft construction being mounted in the other block and being angular in cross section and extending into said angular chamber of the piston, whereby the piston may be rotated by the shaft construction and reciprocate, and means secured to the well tube which engages the piston and causes it to reciprocate as it is rotated.

12. A well pump including a well tube, a tubular shaft construct-ion extending down into the well tube, means at the upper end for rotating the shaft construction, hearings in the well tube for said shaft, and a piston in the tube operatively connected with said shaft construction for actuating the piston, the bearings and piston being in communication with the chamber in the tubular shaft construction whereby the pump mechanism will be lubricated by oil introduced into the upper end of the tubular shaft construction.

13. A well pump including a well tube, a tubular piston therein having annular cam grooves with oil openings from said grooves to the interior of the piston. means secured to the well tube projecting into the grooves for causing the piston to reciprocate when rotated, a tubular shaft construction extending down into the well tube' and opcratively engaging the piston so as to rotate the same and permit it to reciprocate, and means for rotating the shaft construction, whereby lubricatin oil can be introduced at the upper en of the shaft construction and be caused to lubricate the grooves of the piston.

M. A well pump including a well tube, means for forming a plurality of piston chambers in-said tube having a check valve closed passage through the means at each end ifn upward succession, substantially as set ort 15. A well pump including a well tube, a series of pairs of block secured so as to be stationary in said tube at intervals to form a series of piston chambers, there being a piston chamber'between each pair of said blocks and each block hag valve controlled passages for the fluid, a shaft construction exteng down into the well tube centrally through said blocks, means for rotating the shaft construction, and a piston in each piston chamber' in the tuhe and operatively connected with the shaft construction so as to be actuated thereby vertically. In witness whereof, I have hereunto in Si ature.

y i o ease. 

